Fuel Scarcity: NNPC says it dispatched 140 trucks to Ondo in one week

NNPC said the 140 trucks of 33,000 litres of petrol were dispatched between January 28 and February 3.

Tosin Ajuwon • February 7, 2023

NNPC truck

As the lingering fuel scarcity bites harder nationwide, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited says it dispatched 140 trucks of 33,000 litres of petrol to Ondo between January 28 and February 3.

The disclosure was contained in a Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) weekly and daily dispatch report of the NNPC Limited posted on its official Twitter account.

A copy of the report obtained by Peoples Gazette on Tuesday, showed that 450.92 million litres was the total evacuation of petrol dispatched within the week under review to the 36 States of the country including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

According to the report, a total of 64.42 million liters of fuel was average evacuation daily at the port and shared among the states.

In the document, 1,251 fuel trucks dispatched petrol to Lagos State during the period highlighted.

A total of 847 fuel trucks were dispatched to the FCT and 372 fuel trucks were dispatched to Oyo state.

Also, 311 fuel trucks were dispatched to Ogun, 268 fuel trucks to Kano, and 284 to Delta State.

Ebonyi State got 22 fuel trucks and 159 fuel trucks were sent to Edo State.

Recall that Mele Kyari, Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited, said the current fuel crisis being experienced nationwide was not a result of supply challenges but distribution.

Despite the dispatch, many petrol stations’ gates remain shut to Nigerians.

In Ondo, angry residents have questioned where the 142 petrol trucks dispatched to the state are, as the scarcity persists.

“If NNPCL claimed they sent such numbers of trucks to Ondo to alleviate the hardship of the masses. Please, where did they drop it,” a phone caller, Jacob Iyiola queried on a radio programme on Tuesday.

A few stations in the state with the product had been selling above the official pump price, with many dispensing to customers between N350 and N500 per litre, thereby encouraging the black market.

The situation has led to a sharp increase in transportation fares, food items and services, with many businesses and households feeling the debilitating effects of the scarcity.

Nigerians have been calling on the state and federal governments to find a lasting solution to the scarcity.

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